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E. Pallant et al.
a unique way to demonstrate the practicality and necessity of liberal arts college
graduates. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate how the existing Environmental
Science and Sustainability (ESS) curriculum at Allegheny College (Meadville, PA)
aligns with the UN SDGs to create graduates that are well positioned to act as
“extension agents” to the world (Ensign 2017).
The preparation of this paper involved a comprehensive review of existing classes
in the Environmental Science and Sustainability major at Allegheny College with a
focus on the alignment of learning outcomes for core courses required of all students
majoring in ESS with central SDG principles. Only those SDG goals that had direct
links to the learning outcomes of a specific course were “tagged” for that course.
Faculty teaching core courses were then interviewed to elicit exemplary class foci,
units, and exercises that could serve as best practices for infusing UN SDGs into a
curriculum for undergraduate ESS majors.
2 The Core Curriculum in Environmental Science
and Sustainability
All Environmental Science and Sustainability majors are required to take five core
courses, ESS 110, ESS 201 & 210, ESS 585, ESS 600/610 (see descriptions below).
Each of these courses infuses the UN SDGs into the curriculum through targeted
content, assignments, readings, and projects. These core courses are discussed below
and examples of the inclusion of the UN SDGs are provided. In addition to these five
courses, ESS majors take additional foundational courses to ensure basic skills in
natural and social sciences, as well as a cohort of courses (area of specialization) that
allows them to gain depth in one of the five central themes of the UN SDGs—people,
planet, prosperity, peace, or partnerships.
3 Year 1. ESS 110. Introduction to Sustainability—“Think
Sustainability”
The Introduction to Sustainability course forefronts the synthesis of the three major
pillars of sustainable development: people, planet, and prosperity. The goal is to
demonstrate for students how the interaction of these three main pillars lead to the 17
UN SDGs. This approach of highlighting synthesis of pillars of sustainability is educationally the opposite of presenting silos of knowledge—ecology, politics, energy,
population, climate change—and then expecting students to make the connections
on their own. As one example—during the teaching of food and fiber, students are
asked to investigate the life cycle analysis of a food item. Students have to do research
on the environmental impacts of a food product, as well as the economic and social
impacts of food production on global food growers and laborers, processors, manu-
E. Pallant et al.
a unique way to demonstrate the practicality and necessity of liberal arts college
graduates. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate how the existing Environmental
Science and Sustainability (ESS) curriculum at Allegheny College (Meadville, PA)
aligns with the UN SDGs to create graduates that are well positioned to act as
“extension agents” to the world (Ensign 2017).
The preparation of this paper involved a comprehensive review of existing classes
in the Environmental Science and Sustainability major at Allegheny College with a
focus on the alignment of learning outcomes for core courses required of all students
majoring in ESS with central SDG principles. Only those SDG goals that had direct
links to the learning outcomes of a specific course were “tagged” for that course.
Faculty teaching core courses were then interviewed to elicit exemplary class foci,
units, and exercises that could serve as best practices for infusing UN SDGs into a
curriculum for undergraduate ESS majors.
2 The Core Curriculum in Environmental Science
and Sustainability
All Environmental Science and Sustainability majors are required to take five core
courses, ESS 110, ESS 201 & 210, ESS 585, ESS 600/610 (see descriptions below).
Each of these courses infuses the UN SDGs into the curriculum through targeted
content, assignments, readings, and projects. These core courses are discussed below
and examples of the inclusion of the UN SDGs are provided. In addition to these five
courses, ESS majors take additional foundational courses to ensure basic skills in
natural and social sciences, as well as a cohort of courses (area of specialization) that
allows them to gain depth in one of the five central themes of the UN SDGs—people,
planet, prosperity, peace, or partnerships.
3 Year 1. ESS 110. Introduction to Sustainability—“Think
Sustainability”
The Introduction to Sustainability course forefronts the synthesis of the three major
pillars of sustainable development: people, planet, and prosperity. The goal is to
demonstrate for students how the interaction of these three main pillars lead to the 17
UN SDGs. This approach of highlighting synthesis of pillars of sustainability is educationally the opposite of presenting silos of knowledge—ecology, politics, energy,
population, climate change—and then expecting students to make the connections
on their own. As one example—during the teaching of food and fiber, students are
asked to investigate the life cycle analysis of a food item. Students have to do research
on the environmental impacts of a food product, as well as the economic and social
impacts of food production on global food growers and laborers, processors, manu-